Soul Battle
by Cat2000
Summary: (Rating just to be on the safe side for later chapters). A young girl called Kyla moves to where Yugi and the rest of the gang live. Eventually, she becomes Ryou's girlfriend, but acts really cold and cruel towards him.
1. Prologue

Soul Battle

Prologue  
  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh, and I'm not making any money from this fic

**Summary:** A young girl called Kyla moves to where Yugi and the rest of the gang live. Eventually, she becomes Ryou's girlfriend, but is really cold and cruel towards him. However, when her best friend is kidnapped, Kyla finds herself thrust into a battle of wits against a foe she could never imagine. And what is the real reason behind Kyla's heart of ice?

**Author's Note:** This series is the prequel to 'I'm Sorry'. Enjoy!

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The little girl cowered back into the corner of her room, shaking violently, trying to escape her foster father's wrath. She could smell the stench of alcohol on his breath, and it terrified her.

The man struck her again, the sound echoing through the room, and the little girl whimpered and tried to curl up into as small a ball as possible. Maybe if she tried hard enough, she really _would_ disappear. Just like in the stories she had read.

The man kicked the girl in the side of her head. "You're a useless, pathetic little wimp!" he spat. The quiet sniffling coming from the girl only served to goad him on:

"Oh, that's right. Cry. No one's coming to help you, brat!" And he kicked and hit the limp form a few more times, and then stalked out of the room, leaving the girl curled up on the ground.

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Kyla walked into the kindergarten playground, her small arms wrapped protectively around herself.

Kyla glanced round at the other children playing, but made no attempt to join in any of their games. She assumed that they'd just reject her if she tried. And, even if they didn't, she wasn't sure she was ready to make friends.

Half turning round, Kyla found herself confronted with a cute blonde sucking on her thumb and watching Kyla with huge, fascinated blue eyes.

Slowly, the blonde lifted her free hand to point at Kyla's black, wavy hair. "Yami," she lisped around her thumb. Then, she touched her own golden hair. "Hikari." She giggled. "I Nia. I'm four." She said that proudly.

"Me Kyla," Kyla replied. "I four too. I new here."

"Wanna come play?" Without waiting for an answer, Nia grabbed Kyla's hand, and dragged her over to two boys – one with tri-coloured spiky hair, and the other with longish white-blond hair. "This Kyla," she announced proudly. "She new."

"My name's Yugi," the tri-coloured haired boy said.

"And I'm Ryou," the white-haired boy added.

"We playing house," Nia explained with her thumb still in her mouth and a sweet smile on her lips. "Me and Yugi are the mummy and daddy."

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	2. Chapter One Dream Friend

Soul Battle

Chapter One – Dream Friend  
  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh, and I'm not making any money from this fic

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Kyla sat on her bed with her knees drawn up to her chest, staring at the new bruises on her arms with a kind of morbid fascination.

_I guess I should be grateful that I can easily hide the bruises,_ Kyla thought to herself with an inaudible sigh.

Kyla's foster father had had a hard day working at the bank, so he had beaten Kyla quite badly. At least he hadn't taken a knife to her this time, though.

Kyla leaned back on her bed to stare up at the ceiling, ignoring the stab of pain through her back. As usual, she couldn't find any tears inside her. She'd become what she was called at school – the ice queen. But she hadn't _chosen_ to encase her heart in ice... It had been forced onto her. If she hadn't become like ice, then the torture she was going through all the time would destroy her.

Kyla's eyes tracked towards the picture on her dressing table – the picture of Ryou. Her outward expression didn't change, but, inwardly, she flinched.

Ryou was Kyla's boyfriend, if you could call him that. Kyla had never particularly _wanted_ a boyfriend... But she had always sort of liked Ryou. And when he had asked her to date him, she had said yes.

Kyla wasn't compromising on her reputation as the ice queen, though. Usually, she didn't treat Ryou very well. But though she was exceedingly cold and sometimes cruel to him, Ryou bore it patiently, and didn't even _think_ about breaking up with Kyla.

In a way, that might have made things even worse between Ryou and Kyla. The problem was that Ryou was so gentle. He would _never_ shout at Kyla or argue with her or protest her treatment of him. In a way, Kyla had lost her ability to feel. What she needed was a sharp shock to unlock her feelings again.

Kyla glanced up as she head footsteps outside her room. Luckily, though, they continued on past her door.

Despite her best efforts to remain awake, Kyla soon slipped into sleep.

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_Kyla was standing in a strangely-shaped room. Unlike other rooms, this one had five corners to it. In some ways, its shape was similar to a star._

_The whole room was golden, and glowed with a soft pale light. The whole effect was amazingly beautiful._

_Suddenly, Kyla realised that she wasn't alone in the room. Standing almost directly in front of her was a slightly older, darker-looking version of Kyla._

_"Who are you?" Kyla demanded rudely, taking a slight step back._

_"My name is Nareen," the other Kyla answered, her eyes firmly fixed on Kyla's face. "I am your yami."_

_"My... yami?" Kyla repeated. Nareen nodded. "Your darker half," she explained. "I am a spirit from Ancient Egypt, and I've been trapped here for a few thousand years."_

_Kyla looked around. "Where _is_ here?" she wanted to know._

_Nareen smiled, and it took Kyla by surprise. She hadn't smiled in so long..._

_"I don't think you're ready to hear that," Nareen answered. "It would mean believing something that _anyone_ would have trouble believing."_

_"But why?" Kyla asked. "I mean... This _is_ only a dream... isn't it?"_

_Again, Nareen smiled. "Well, it's _your_ decision what you believe and what you don't," she replied. "Although if you choose to believe that this is only a dream... You might find that your opinion is drastically changed."_

_Kyla lifted her chin. "I hardly think that is likely to happen," she said coolly._

_Nareen laughed, and Kyla woke up._

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Kyla woke up feeling... strange. It took her a while to work out exactly what was different, and, when she realised, her eyes got very wide.

She no longer hurt.

Kyla looked down at her arms, and her brow wrinkled in confusion as she saw that the bruises were still there. Running a finger tentatively over them, she was surprised to find that they really _did_ no longer hurt. Then, she shrugged. Oh, well. She wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Feeling better, even if only slightly, Kyla slipped into sleep again, this time a dreamless one.

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	3. Chapter Two The Ice Queen

Soul Battle

Chapter Two – The Ice Queen  
  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh, and I'm not making any money from this fic (Kyla and Nia are my characters, though)

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Kyla stared at her reflection in the mirror, her fingers reaching out to touch the new cut on her right cheek.

_Now how can I hide this?_ Kyla wondered. Obviously, she'd have to put some form of protective covering over it. But she _would_ have to hide it in some way. The last thing she wanted was to be asked awkward questions. She wasn't worried about fielding questions from most people, but Nia and Ryou especially would keep on asking and keep trying to find out.

Kyla placed a protective bandage over the cut, and then smoothed her hair over her cheek. She then looked critically at the effect in the mirror. It wasn't perfect... But it would do.

Kyla slipped the golden necklace Ryou had given her around her neck, slipping it under her top so that it was hidden at the same time. She regarded her reflection in the mirror a moment before subtly touching up her makeup. Then, she slipped a silk scarf around her neck before critically regarding her reflection again.

_My hair doesn't exactly look good,_ Kyla thought to herself. _But that can't really be helped._

Kyla picked up her bag, and walked quickly out of the house, taking care not to run into either of her foster parents. She was late enough as it was.

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Ryou was pacing.

Yugi sighed as he watched his friend moving restlessly. "Ryou, _please_ stop pacing," he said. "They _will_ be here."

"But what if they're not?" Ryou demanded. "Kyla might have decided that she didn't want to waste any more time with me."

Yugi merely blinked at Ryou's words. He wasn't surprised that Ryou's opinion of himself wasn't very high. Dating the so-called ice queen would be hard on _anyone_.

To be honest, Yugi usually wondered exactly what it was Ryou saw in Kyla. _He_ wouldn't carry on dating someone who treated him as coldly as Kyla treated Ryou... Or would he?

_What if I finally got up the courage to ask Nia to date me? _Yugi wondered. _And she agreed? If she started acting like Kyla... I'd probably still want to go out with her, wouldn't I?_ But Yugi couldn't imagine the cute, enthusiastic Nia _ever_ acting cold to _anyone_. It simply wasn't in her nature. But there had _always_ been a kind of coldness around Kyla, even when she had first met them in kindergarten. The only person she ever seemed to open up to was Nia, and even that wasn't very much.

"Ryou, don't worry," Yugi told his friend. "Nia won't let Kyla stand you up." _At least not today,_ he added silently to himself.

"I guess you're right," Ryou commented, stopping himself from pacing with an obvious effort.

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Kyla hurried over to Nia, who was standing on the corner of the road.

"You're late," Nia said brightly.

Kyla gave a slight shrug. "I was deciding whether or not to walk with you or someone else," she replied. The cruel retort came automatically to her lips. She couldn't have said anything else even if she'd tried.

Nia flinched, and a hurt look came into her eyes. Then, she shrugged, and her expression became almost normal again. "I guess you didn't find anyone else," she said almost brightly. "Come on. Ryou and Yugi will be waiting for us. If we're _too_ late, they'll just leave without us."

_Ryou..._ Kyla thought to herself with something very akin to regret. Then, she hardened her heart. She couldn't afford to let any feelings through. Not now.

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"Here they are," Yugi said as he spotted Kyla and Nia making their way towards him and Ryou.

Ryou almost sagged with relief, and turned to face Nia and Kyla. "Hello!" he said, reaching to take Kyla's hands.

"Hi Ryou, hi Yugi," Nia said brightly. "Nice to see you."

"Ryou, Yugi," Kyla greeted coolly, keeping her hands firmly to her side.

Ryou took a slight step back. "Gomen," he muttered softly.

_Kyla, that wasn't very nice,_ Nareen's voice scolded in Kyla's mind.

_Oh, great,_ Kyla thought. _Now I'm hearing voices inside my head. I can't wait for the men in white coats to come and take me away!_

_Don't be ridiculous!_ Nareen snapped. _Try actually being_ nice _to people, and you may find that things actually work out._

_Yeah, right,_ Kyla thought bitterly. But Nareen was gone.

"Let's go," Kyla said shortly, stalking off.

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	4. Chapter Three Dreams

Soul Battle

Chapter Three – Dreams  
  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh, though I lay claim to the original characters Nia and Kyla, and I'm not making any money from this fic

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_Nareen and Ina were standing in the temple. Nareen's arms were crossed across her chest, and her face, as usual, was expressionless._

_"Aren't you even a _little _happy for me, Nareen?" Ina demanded._

_"Because you finally managed to ensnare the Pharaoh and get him to fall in love with you?" Nareen shrugged. "Sure, the Pharaoh _is _the most powerful man in Egypt... But he's still only human."_

_"So are you and I, Nareen."_

_"Yeah? Well, that might change," Nareen replied. "For _me_, at least." And she turned to leave._

_"What about Bakura?" Ina called after the woman she called her friend. "You care about _him_, don't you?"_

_Nareen paused. "Bakura serves me _some _purpose," she admitted. "But, as soon as he has outlived his usefulness, I _will _discard him." And then, she left._

_Ina stared after her friend, trembling. "I hope that you learn how to feel, Nareen," she murmured. "Before it's too late." And then she returned to her duties._

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_Nia frowned at the report she was writing on her computer. _It doesn't _look _right, _she thought to herself. _I think that I'm doing it wrong. _

Nia typed a few more words, and then leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms out in front of her.

_Hm, I wonder how_ Kyla's _doing with her report? _Nia thought. She quickly discarded the idea to ring Kyla and ask _her _for help, though. Kyla was more likely to hinder Nia than help her. The fact that Nia was Kyla's best friend, or the closest thing she had to one, didn't really count for anything.

_Ok, I'll call Yugi, then, _Nia decided. She picked up her phone, and dialled Yugi's number.

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Kyla woke up aching all over. Her new bruises felt stiff, and she could barely move without wincing.

Kyla slid up the right sleeve of her nightgown, and stared at the new cuts on her arm. "Oh, great," she sighed. "I have to wear long sleeves. _Again_."

_I guess I'm going to be facing more awkward questions today, _Kyla thought as she slipped her clothes on, including the necklace Ryou had given her.

_That's becoming something like a comfort blanket, _Kyla thought wryly, tucking her necklace under her top. _I'm always carrying it around with me wherever I go now._

At just that moment, Kyla's phone rang. Kyla quickly snatched it up and put it to her ear. "Hello. Kyla speaking."

"Hey, it's Nia," Nia's warm voice said. "Listen, Kyla, I had this really weird dream last night..."

Kyla bit her lip. No way was she going to tell Nia that she had had a strange dream too! "So what?" she said instead in a cool voice. "_Everyone_ has strange dreams sometimes."

"Yeah... But _we _were both in it," Nia told Kyla. "And we were in some kind of... temple."

Kyla opened her mouth to deliver a scathing reply, but then, suddenly, everything went black.

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_Nareen stared at Ina. "Ritual killings?" she asked. "You mean that someone's been murdering people as a kind of..._ ritual_?"_

_Ina nodded. "The Pharaoh only just worked it out," she told her friend. "It's a very ancient type of ritual."_

_"And you think that _I _had something to do with these murders?" Nareen demanded with narrowed eyes._

_"_I _don't," Ina replied. "But the Pharaoh wanted me to check it out. He figured that if you _were _the murderer, you'd be less likely to kill me."_

_"I'm _not _a killer!" Nareen protested, showing a flash of emotion for the first time in a long while. _

_"_She _isn't... But _I _am."_

_Nareen and Ina both whirled, and saw a familiar figure standing in the doorway of the temple._

"You_!" Nareen gasped._

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	5. Chapter Four Lost

Soul Battle  
  
Chapter Four – Lost  
  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh, and I'm not making any money from this fic

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"Kyla, I _know _that you had that vision the same as I did," Nia told Kyla as they sat in the park on two of the swings, Nia swinging slightly on her swing.  
  
"You don't know _anything_, Nia," Kyla replied coolly. "I did _not _have any kind of vision!"  
  
"You're lying, Kyla," Nia said bluntly. "I _know _that you're lying. You sounded too surprised on the phone after the vision. Like you were... shell-shocked, or something."  
  
"That was just your imagination," Kyla said in a cool voice.  
  
Nia looked steadily at her friend. Inwardly, Kyla squirmed. She felt as though Nia was looking through all of her icy walls, and was, seeing her true self, and she didn't like it one bit.  
  
"_Anyway_," Kyla said, trying to ignore her strange feelings. "You have no proof of that." _I _can't _start having feelings, _she scolded herself. Or was it Nareen who was helping to unlock her feelings?  
  
_Then when _will _you start?_ Nareen's voice asked in Kyla's mind.  
  
_I _will _allow myself to start feeling, _Kyla replied. _But not now. If I start feeling _now_, I will go mad.  
  
All right, _Nareen sighed. _But I'd listen to Nia, if I were you. She has something important to tell you.  
  
I'll_ try_, _Kyla said. _But it's a little difficult to actually be_ attentive _to someone while trying to look like you're _not _paying attention to them.  
  
Kyla. _There was a warning note in Nareen's mental voice.  
  
_All right, all right. I_ know_.  
_  
Nia gave a slight shrug. "All right," she said. "I don't see _why _you're lying to me... But you _might _have a good reason to do so."  
  
A sudden thought occurred to Kyla. _Nareen, does Nia have a yami? _she asked silently.  
  
_What do _you _think? _Nareen sounded amused.  
  
Kyla thought a moment, and then mentally widened her eyes. _Ina? _she gasped.  
  
_Well, of course, _Nareen replied. _In Ancient Egypt, I looked like you... And Ina looked like Nia.  
  
You also _acted _like me, didn't you? _Kyla asked, remembering the vision she had had.  
  
_Yes, I did, _Nareen agreed. _Until I learned better, of course. But, by then, it was too late.  
  
Too late? _Kyla repeated. Then, _Will it be too late for me? _she wanted to know.  
  
_I don't know, _Nareen admitted.  
  
With some effort, Kyla tore her thoughts away from the conversation with Nareen. She really wanted to find out if Nia could talk to _her _yami... But that would have to wait. Kyla wanted to know what important thing Nia was supposed to tell her.  
  
Kyla gave Nia a vague, cursory glance. "I'm not lying," she told the girl who she considered to be her closest friend apart from Ryou. "All you have is guesswork. No evidence."  
  
"Maybe you're right," Nia admitted. She caught and held Kyla's gaze. "Ryou's left, did you know?"  
  
Kyla stiffened slightly, a wave of shock rippling through her mind. "_Left_?" she gasped.  
  
_Kyla, don't! _Nareen's voice cracked like a whip in Kyla's mind.  
  
_But Ryou's_ gone_! _Kyla wailed.  
  
_Kyla, snap yourself out of it! _Nareen said sharply. _You _know _that now isn't the time! There are still some things you have to do _before _you let yourself feel!  
  
But... _Kyla began.  
  
_There's no 'buts' about it, Kyla! _Nareen snapped. _You won't help Ryou any by worrying! Wait until the right time to let your feelings slip through your armour.  
  
When _is _the right time? _Kyla wanted to know.  
  
But Nareen was gone.  
  
"Yes, he _has _left," Nia replied. "I told him that he should. He's gone to Duelist Kingdom with Yugi, Joey, Tea, and Tristan."  
  
Kyla's expression changed to normal. She double-encased her heart in ice, and braced herself for the pain she _knew _was going to flood through her with what she was about to say:  
  
"I don't really care," Kyla said, wincing inwardly at her own words. "What Ryou does is of no concern to me."  
  
Nia frowned. "What if he gets hurt?" she wanted to know.  
  
Kyla shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me," she replied. Saying those words almost broke her inside. But she continued anyway. "I don't care about Ryou at all. What he does has no effect on me at all. He could _die_, and I wouldn't be bothered at all."  
  
Nia stared at Kyla, then straightened and walked away without saying a word.  
  
When she was gone, Kyla lowered her head, feeling lost and alone, despite trying to tell herself that she had made the right choice and done the only possible thing.

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	6. Chapter Five Memories of The Past

Soul Battle  
  
Chapter Five – Memories of The Past  
  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh, and I'm not making any money from this fic

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Kyla lay on her back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, rubbing at the finger marks on her right arm just above the elbow.  
  
_This hurt even more,_ Kyla thought to herself. _Maybe it was because I got a crack in my armour today. Because I almost let myself feel. I guess I was right. If I _had _changed today, then this would have likely driven me to insanity.  
_  
Kyla rolled over, wincing slightly in pain, and opened the top drawer of her dressing table. She took out her diary and a pen.  
  
Anyone finding and reading Kyla's diary wouldn't understand the writing in it. Kyla had come up with a simple code to discourage people – every other word was written backwards, and the other words had the letters 'T' at the beginning of them and 'P' at the end. There was also no spacing between the words, except for when Kyla was starting a new paragraph.  
  
Kyla thought for a moment, chewing on the end of her pen. (It was a habit she had). Then, she started writing:  
  
_TdearPyraid  
  
TIPdnuofToutPyadotTthatPuoyRTisPgnivael,TandPtahtTNiaPdlotThimPtahtThePdluohsTgoP.ITwon'tPtimdaTthisPotTanyoneP,tubTI'mPyllaerTworriedPtuobaThimP.TahwTifPehTgetsPtruh?TIPt'nowThavePdlotThimPwohTIPyllaerTfeelPtuobaThimP.  
  
NeeraNTstoppedPemTfromPgniwohsTanyPsgnileefTtoPaiN.TactuallyP,ehsTcheatedP.EhsTusedPymTownPstnemugraTagainstPem.TIPt'nodTthinkPtahtTthatPsawTveryPriafTofPreh.TokP,ebyamTshePsiTrightP,tubTshePsawTthePenoTwhoPdetnawTmePotTletPymTfeelingsPwohsTthroughP,hguoht.TIPsseugTshePsahTaPdoogTreasonProfTsayingPtaht,TbutPtiTwasPdnikTofPgnisufnocTasPotTwhatPehtTreasonPsaw.  
_  
Kyla stopped writing, and put her pen and diary back into the drawer. Then, she slipped under her covers, and let sleep overtake her.

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_Nareen's hand slid up Bakura's back to rest lightly on the back of his neck. She pressed firmly, forcing him into a deeper kiss.  
  
Nareen felt Bakura tremble under her hands, and she smiled inwardly. It seemed that her sensuality hadn't yet deserted her, then.  
  
Nareen felt Bakura's tongue touch gently against her lips, and she obediently opened her mouth to allow him access.  
  
Bakura's eyes were closed, but Nareen's were open. She wanted to watch Bakura's every reaction. She had to know if he was becoming bored, and therefore know if she had to change her approach at all.  
  
There didn't seem to be any problem at all. Bakura's hands tightened on Nareen's back, and he pulled her closer to him.  
  
They were in one of the corners of the temple, standing in some shadows so as not to be immediately obvious to anyone entering the temple. It was the only place where they could really be together.  
  
Bakura pulled gently back from Nareen, slowly opening his eyes. Then, he tilted his head to one side with a quizzical expression on his face. "Nareen, why do I get the feeling that you're keeping something from me?" he asked, frowning slightly.  
  
Nareen blinked, and put a confused expression on her face. "Bakura, what do you mean?" she wanted to know. "I'm not keeping _anything _from you. Why would I be?"  
  
Bakura opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by a friend of Ina and Nareen called Riana entering the temple.  
  
"Nareen?" Riana called softly. "Are you here? There's been another murder."_

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_Kyla woke up with a pounding heart. The dream, which she now knew to be one of Nareen's memories, had made her feel scared right at the last bit.  
  
_This memory is_ before _the one with you and Ina talking in the temple... Right? _Kyla silently asked Nareen.  
  
_Of course, _Nareen replied, amused.  
  
_Who's the murderer?_ Kyla demanded.  
  
_Oh, I _can't _tell you that, _Nareen replied with a silent laugh. _I wouldn't want to spoil it for you.  
  
Stop teasing me! _Kyla scolded.  
  
Nareen merely laughed.  
  
Kyla suddenly thought of something. _Nareen, you mentioned the other day that you changed too late,_ she commented. _What did you mean?  
  
_Nareen was silent for a long moment, and Kyla was able to feel that the question had pained her.  
  
_I couldn't stop Bakura from turning to darkness, _Nareen replied finally. _He was too far into it by the time I was able to change.  
  
Oh... _Kyla said quietly.

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Nia sat on her window seat, looking out at the moon and admiring its bright light. She wondered if Yugi was looking at the moon too, where he was.  
  
_And I hope that Ryou will be all right, too, _Nia thought to herself. _I wonder if I made the right choice, telling him that he should go with Yugi and the others.  
  
Of course you did, Nia, _Ina's voice said in the girl's mind.  
  
_I'm not so sure, _Nia replied. _I'm kind of worried. After all, Yugi told me about his grandfather. This Pegasus person sounds really dangerous.  
  
Don't worry about it, _Ina said. _You _did _have the choice to go with them, remember? You decided not to go.  
  
I remember, _Nia sighed.  
  
_It's late, _Ina said then. _You should probably be in bed getting some sleep now.  
  
I guess you're right, _Nia admitted. She drew her curtains, switched off her light, got into bed, and was soon fast asleep.

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_"And he's really nice and kind!" Ina exclaimed enthusiastically. "He doesn't flaunt his power at all!"  
  
Riana's eyes glazed over a little. She _had _been listening to Ina go on about Pharaoh Yami for quite some time, after all.  
  
Nareen had left quite a while ago. Riana would have gone, too, but Ina _was _her friend, and Riana had ever been polite.  
  
"You got what you wanted, then?" Riana asked when there was a pause in what Ina was saying. "I mean, you _did _say that you thought he was cute. In fact, you went on and on about that for days, after all." But Riana smiled gently, to show that she was only teasing Ina.  
  
Ina blushed at that, and then laughed a little. "I guess I _was _a little unbearable to live with," she admitted.  
  
Riana gave a gentle smile. "Why don't you tell me about the first time you met the Pharaoh?" she suggested.  
  
Ina returned the smile, and thought back to that day._

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Ina had been performing some small duties in the temple that day. Just basically cleaning and tidying up.  
  
Ina, Nareen, and Riana _always _worked in the temples. It wasn't that they wanted to be priestesses... They each had their own reasons.  
  
For her part, Ina enjoyed the sense of peace that was always in the temple. She felt safe there. It was her haven.  
  
Ina knew the probable reason why _Riana _liked working in the temples – the red-head enjoyed helping people out when she could, and also liked being with Nareen and Ina. As to Nareen's reason? Well, that was for Nareen to know, and the other two to only guess at.  
  
Ina started carefully laying the flowers she carried in her arms neatly on one of the altars, being careful not to prick herself on the thorns of the white and red roses. She managed to do that a lot, and nearly always ended up with sore fingers.  
  
Ina hummed softly as she worked. Strewing the flowers on the altars had quickly become her favourite chore, and she always took as much time over it as possible.  
  
Ina turned, still with a large amount of flowers in her arms, to move to another altar. Then, she paused, realising that she was no longer alone in the temple, and her eyes widened as she realised who was in there with her.  
  
Pharaoh Yami was standing there, watching her with his dark crimson eyes. Horrified, Ina tried to kneel, or curtsy, or _anything _with her armful of flowers. How long had the Pharaoh been standing there for?  
  
Yami held up a hand to stop Ina's efforts. "Don't worry about it," he said.  
  
"But... You're the Pharaoh!" Ina protested, her eyes wide. "I_ have _to bow to you! Or kneel. Or curtsy."  
  
"You don't usually worry about rank, though," Yami commented. "I've seen you. You welcome _anyone _into your circle of friends."  
  
_He's been _watching _me? _Ina thought, feeling slightly panicked. Out loud, she said, "But you're the _Pharaoh_!"  
  
Yami's eyes sparkled with mischief. "What if I _ordered _you not to bow to me?" he suggested. "Or kneel. Or curtsy."  
  
Ina blinked, a little startled. Then, she grinned. "Well, I guess I can't ignore an_ order _from you," she laughed.  
  
Yami smiled, and then looked around. "Where are the two girls who are nearly always with you?" he wanted to know.  
  
"Oh, they're both doing other things," Ina replied. "Riana's doing some duties in her home, and I think that Nareen's with Bakura... Or possibly someone else."  
  
"You want help with those?" Yami asked, gesturing towards the flowers in Ina's arms.  
  
"Oh, no. It's all right," Ina said brightly. "I _like _putting the flowers on the altars. It's other tasks, like cleaning the statues, which I don't particularly like. Besides, the Pharaoh can't be seen doing any work!"  
  
Yami just smiled, and came to help Ina anyway._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Riana smiled as Ina finished. "You are right, Ina," she agreed. "He really _doesn't _seem to flaunt his power."  
  
Ina nodded vigorously.  
  
"But be careful," Riana went on, her gaze catching and holding Ina's. "No matter _how _he acts, he is still the Pharaoh. His kindness could turn to cruelty at a moment's notice."  
  
Ina opened her mouth to say something, but was prevented by the arrival of one of Yami's servants, Ishi.  
  
Ishi walked straight up to Ina. "The Pharaoh wants you to go to him now," he said shortly._

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Nia woke up just as her alarm went off. _That's not fair, _she silently accused.  
  
_It's hardly _my _fault that you have to get up this early,_ Ina replied indignantly.  
  
_I guess you're right,_ Nia sighed. _But I really want to get to the end of these dreams!  
  
You and me both, _Ina said. _Some of those memories are really painful.  
  
I don't see _why _I have to experience these dreams anyway,_ Nia grumbled as she got ready for school.

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Read and review, please!  
  
For those of you struggling with the coded diary entry, the 'T's and the 'P's are basically spaces. So, rewrite the entry, substituting spaces for the 'T's and 'P's. Then, write every other word backwards.  
  
If you're still having trouble, e-mail me, and I'll send you the uncoded version


	7. Chapter Six Nightmares

Soul Battle

Chapter Six – Nightmares

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh, and I'm not making any money from this fic

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Kyla sat at the breakfast table, picking at her food and watching her foster parents from under lowered lashes. She was desperately trying not to say anything that would cause either of her foster parents to get angry with her. She had enough cuts and bruises as it was, and she really wanted _some_ of them to heal, at least. They were getting _very_ difficult to hide.

Kyla finally finished eating, even though it was kind of difficult to swallow. She gathered up her plate, cutlery, and glass, took them to the sink, and washed them up. Then, she picked up her school bag, and walked to the front door.

Kyla's foster father looked up, and narrowed his ice blue eyes. "Where do you think _you're_ going?" he demanded.

Kyla hesitated, her hand on the doorknob. She could always just open the door and run out of the house... But she knew that it would be worse for her later if she did that. So, with an inaudible sigh, she turned from the door. "To school, _sir_," she replied. "It _is_ a school day, after all." Kyla knew that she sounded rude, but she didn't care. She _wanted_ to get to school. She wanted to get away from her foster parents. From the bullying, abusive father, and the mousy, weak mother.

Stefan's eyes flashed angrily, and he pushed his chair back from the table. Getting to his feet, he stormed over to Kyla, and slapped her, hard, across the face.

Kyla didn't even flinch, and she violently beat down the tears that threatened to rise in her eyes, leaving the familiar lump in her throat, as Stefan punched her hard enough to knock her to the ground, a little stunned. Then, he grabbed a sharp-bladed kitchen knife, and crouched down next to Kyla.

Kyla's eyes shifted to the ceiling, and she forced herself to a small corner of her mind as Stefan raised the sleeve of her right arm and cut a thin line.

Kyla felt the warm wetness on her arm as the blood welled. But she refused to even flinch, and that must have enraged Stefan, as he gave her relatively deep cuts on both arms and on one of her legs.

When he was gone, Rita got up, and silently bathed and bandaged Kyla's cuts. Then, she put her lips close to the girl's ear, and whispered, "If you cried, he would go easier on you."

Kyla only closed her eyes.

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Kyla walked into the classroom, limping slightly. Her arms and leg felt incredibly sore, and she wondered how she was going to cope with writing. At least there wasn't any sport on today. She _knew_ that she wouldn't be able to cope with that.

Kyla calmly told the teacher that she was late because she had to help out with something at her house. She knew that Nia was suspicious, but didn't even look at her friend. And she was _very_ careful to keep her sleeves pulled well down to hide the bandages on her arms. She really _didn't_ want to try and explain those away.

As she made her way to her seat, Kyla thought. Why did she refuse to tell someone about what she was going through in her foster home? At first, it had been a matter of pride – Kyla didn't want to admit that she couldn't handle anything. Now, it had gotten to be a habit. That, and the fact that Kyla _still_ didn't want to appear weak.

_Which is kind of a stupid reason,_ Nareen's voice said in Kyla's mind.

_Will you _please_ be quiet?!_ Kyla snapped. You're _the one who stopped me from acting differently before!_

_Well, I can assure you, _that_ will change,_ Nareen replied.

_Humph,_ Kyla said.

Nia suddenly poked Kyla in the arm. The latter girl bit her lip hard to stop a soft squeal of pain. That poke _hurt_.

"Pay attention!" Nia hissed.

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_Ina quietly entered Pharaoh Yami's private chambers._

_The Pharaoh looked up, and his eyes filled with relief as he spotted Ina. He quickly got up, strode over to Ina, and hugged her tightly._

"_What's wrong?" Ina asked. "Ishi didn't say anything other than that you wanted to talk to me."_

"_That's because that was all I told him," Yami answered, sitting down and pulling Ina down with him. He caught and held her hands, looking deep into Ina's eyes. "I'd rather that as few people as possible know about this. For now, at least."_

"_What is it?" Ina wanted to know._

_Yami dropped his gaze to their clasped hands, and tightened his grip. "Ina, someone's been killing people," he told her in a low voice._

_Ina drew back sharply, her eyes wide. "Someone's been _murdering_ people?" she gasped. "When? How? Do you have any idea of who it might be?"_

"_It appears to be a sort of ritual," Yami explained. "And as to who the murderer may be... Well, I think I may have _some_ idea as to that. But you won't like it, Ina."_

_Ina opened her mouth to ask why, and then closed it again as a familiar face appeared in her mind. "Nareen," she whispered, feeling sick. "You think that it may be _Nareen_ killing all of these people."_

"_I'm sorry, Ina." Yami's voice seemed to be coming from far away. "I _know_ that Nareen is your friend... And I know that I have no evidence that she is the murderer. I promise that I will not accuse her unless I have definite proof of her guilt."_

_Ina's mind was in a whirl. _How could _Nareen_ be killing all of those people? _she wondered. _She doesn't have it in her to murder people... Or does she?

"_Ina... There's something else." Yami's words broke through the girl's thoughts._

_Ina looked up. "What is it?" she asked._

_Yami hesitated, then pulled Ina closer to him and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "This," he murmured, before gently kissing her._

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Kyla was sitting at her desk, working on her homework. Or _trying_ to, at least. Because she felt so sore, writing felt like torture.

Kyla was relieved that she had managed to avoid both of her foster parents. She was pretty sure that if she had to suffer another beating now, she would break.

_How are your arms and leg doing?_ Nareen asked silently.

Very_ sore,_ Kyla replied glumly. _I'm getting really sick of all this abuse... I'm going to go mad soon. I know it._

_You_ could_ just_ tell _someone, you know,_ Nareen suggested. _It's only because of your _pride_ that you won't let anyone help you._

_That may be,_ Kyla agreed. _But my pride's the only thing I have left to me._

_It_ wouldn't_ be the only thing you had if you didn't keep pushing everyone away from you,_ Nareen said.

_No one would believe me anyway,_ Kyla replied.

_You mean Nia wouldn't?_ was Nareen's response. _You think _Ryou_ wouldn't?_

_It's too late, anyway,_ Kyla said softly. She put her books and pens away, got undressed, and got into bed.

Kyla was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow, so she didn't hear the last words of her yami:

_Oh, no, Kyla. You see, it's not quite too late._

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_Ina and Nareen both stared at the figure standing in the doorway of the temple._

_"_You_!" Ina gasped. "_You're_ the murderer."_

"_Yes, Ina. I am," Riana said, stepping further into the temple with an evil smile, holding a long bladed, jewelled dagger in her right hand._

"_Nareen, I beg your pardon," Ina murmured, watching Riana warily._

"_Why are you doing this?!" Nareen demanded._

_Riana just smiled evilly. "For power," she replied. "With every sacrifice I perform, I get closer and closer to ultimate power. But, you two are incredibly smart... You'd figure out that it was _me_ eventually. So I decided that I'd remove you both _now_. Besides, Ina, you _are_ remarkably close to the Pharaoh. _Too_ close, for someone who is below his station."_

_Ina and Nareen exchanged glances. They both knew that there was only one thing they could do. They had to keep Riana talking, until they were rescued, or until they could overpower or escape from Riana._

_Ina and Nareen began to slowly edge away from each other. "What kind of power are you trying to achieve?" Nareen wanted to know._

_Ina looked sharply at her friend. _Now why would Nareen ask something like that?_ she wondered, feeling a little worried. _Could she perhaps want the power for herself?

_Riana's smile grew wider, and she moved back so that she could keep an eye on both Ina and Nareen. She wagged the index finger of her free hand. "That trick isn't going to work," she told them. "_Nothing _is going to save you... But I'll tell you of my plan anyway. I've wanted to tell _someone_. Besides, it's not like anyone is coming to rescue you." _

_"_Do_ tell us," Nareen said. "We can't _wait_ to hear of this new power."_

She's acting,_ Ina suddenly realised. _I can tell. I _know_ that she's not being sincere._ Ina never thought she'd be happy because of Nareen's talent for hiding her true feelings. She heaved an inaudible sigh of relief. Working together, she was sure that they'd be able to escape Riana. Well, _almost_ sure, anyway._

"_It has to do with absorbing people's souls into certain... objects... as they die," Riana explained. "Then _I_ can use the objects, and their souls, to gain ultimate power!"_

"_And _that's_ what you have planned for _us_, isn't it?" Nareen demanded._

Well, _that_ got straight to the point,_ Ina thought to herself._

"_Actually, yes," Riana answered. "That _is_ what I have planned for the two of you. _Both_ of you are extraordinarily gifted. Adding you to my 'collection' will add greatly to my power." She raised her dagger. "_Now_, the time for talk is over. _Now_ is the time to die." And she threw her dagger directly at Ina's chest._

That_ was Riana's mistake. She had assumed that Nareen wouldn't care enough about Ina to try and save her. But she had been wrong, and that was going to cost her dearly._

_Faster than the eye could see, Nareen streaked over to Ina, and pushed her out of the way of the dagger. However, she wasn't quite quick enough. The dagger scraped across her arm before clattering across the floor of the temple._

_Riana's eyes narrowed. "So..." she breathed. "You _have_ discovered your own power. Still, it is of no consequence. I can still destroy you both." She raised a strange silver stone, and a black light shot out of it towards Ina and Nareen._

_However, before the light could touch either of them, a different light, this one white, surrounded Ina and Nareen, causing them to vanish into another realm._

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Read and review, please!


	8. Chapter Seven The First Cracks

Soul Battle

Chapter Seven – The First Cracks

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh, and I'm not making any money from this fic

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Kyla's eyes slowly opened, and she stared up at the ceiling, blinking a little. _What happened there?_ she silently asked her yami.

_I'd've thought that was obvious, _Nareen replied waspishly.

_No, not really,_ Kyla said cautiously. _I mean, it _is_ obvious... Up to a certain point, that is. How come the black energy_ didn't_ hit you and Ina?_

_Because I used my _own_ power to deflect the dark energy,_ Nareen explained. _However, I couldn't stop the effect entirely... Mine and Ina's souls ended up being absorbed and trapped anyway. The only comfort was that Riana couldn't use our power because we technically _weren't_ dead._

_So _that's_ what you meant when you said that you changed too late,_ Kyla realised.

_Yes, it _was_,_ Nareen agreed. _I should have come up with a better way of stopping Riana._

_You did the best you could under the circumstances,_ Kyla said. _There wasn't really a lot else you _could_ do._

_I suppose you might be right,_ Nareen sighed. Then, she gave a soft laugh. _You know, you're beginning to let feelings through your ice wall,_ she commented. _That might not be such a bad idea now, you know._

Kyla hesitated. Then, _I guess you could be right,_ she admitted. _Maybe I could talk to Nia?_

_Now_ that_ sounds like a good idea,_ Nareen said. _Nia's your friend. If _anyone_ is going to understand, it'll be her._

_What were your souls sealed inside?_ Kyla wanted to know.

My_ soul was sealed inside a crystal star,_ Nareen explained. _And Ina's was sealed inside a crystal bracelet. The crystal items are a little different to the millennium items that Ryou and Yugi own._

_And where are the crystal star and the crystal bracelet now?_ Kyla asked.

Nareen hesitated for a long moment. _They are in a safe place,_ she answered finally. _You don't need to know where they are kept yet. Anyway, you'd better start getting ready for school now. You need to start thinking about what you're going to say to Nia._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Kyla sat scribbling down notes in Mrs. Okinawa's class, biting her lip every so often to stop herself from gasping with pain.

The night's sleep hadn't really helped Kyla much at all. Her new cuts felt quite stiff, and she had to be careful to avoid reopening them. She already had a couple of times, and had to keep running to the toilets for tissue paper. Not that it did as much good as proper bandages did... But Kyla would have to make do with them.

Kyla had been gradually lowering her shields to Nia, allowing some small glimpses of feelings to show through. It was harder than she had imagined. Kyla had become _addicted_ to her walls, and didn't _want_ to admit the true reasons behind them to _anyone_, even to Nia.

Kyla was ignoring Nareen's comments. She was going to tell Nia when _she_ wanted to, not when Nareen wanted her to.

Kyla found herself continually looking over at the empty seat that Ryou usually sat in. She missed him more than she had thought would be possible. _If only I had been able to tell him how I _truly_ feel about him,_ she thought to herself. _But would it have stopped him from going with Yugi and the others? Somehow, I don't think so. But it _might_ have made me, at least, feel better._

Kyla wondered if Nareen had felt the same when Bakura had turned to darkness, and she had been helpless to try and stop him. Had she felt guilty and unhappy and wished, more than anything, that she could go back in time and undo everything she had done to hurt Bakura... Had she wished that, just once, she could have told Bakura how much she loved him?

_Yes, I did,_ Nareen said in a small voice. _And I still do._

With a soft sigh, Kyla returned to taking notes.

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Nia and Kyla were sitting outside the school on one of the benches. They were both eating, but Kyla didn't really taste anything.

Finally, Nia finished eating, and looked at Kyla. "Ok, I've been getting the feeling that you've been trying to tell me something all day," she said. "But, at the same time, trying _not_ to tell me."

Kyla flinched, then looked down. "I... I... You're right," she admitted in a low voice, determined not to hide behind her walls _this_ time. "But, Nia, this is _really_ difficult for me to say... So I'm just going to show you instead."

Nia blinked. "_Show_ me?" she frowned.

Kyla nodded. Her hand moved to one of her sleeves, and she pushed it up to reveal the bandage on her arm.

Nia's eyes widened. "What is _that_?" she gasped.

"It's a bandage," Kyla explained. She almost stopped there... But she felt that she owed it to Nia to continue. "I have one on my other arm, and on one of my legs."

"Have you been self-harming?" Nia asked, clearly shocked.

Kyla laughed bitterly. "Oh, I don't _need_ to self-harm," she replied. "My foster father takes care of that _for_ me."

Nia stared. "Your _foster father_ did that to you?"

Kyla nodded slowly, letting her sleeve drop back down to cover the bandage again.

"Why didn't you _tell_ anyone?" Nia demanded, her fists slowly clenching.

Kyla shot a quick glance at Nia's face, and, to her surprise, found none of the expected revulsion, disgust, or pity. Instead, all she saw was compassion and concern. There was also anger, but Kyla _knew_ that it wasn't directed at her. Rather, _all_ of it was directed at Kyla's monster of a foster father who shouldn't even have the title of 'human'.

Her_ words, not mine,_ Kyla realised, staring at Nia.

The beginnings of a strong bond had been formed.

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Read and review, please!


	9. Chapter Eight Conversations

Soul Battle

Chapter Eight – Conversations

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh, and I'm not making any money from this fic

**Author's Note:** Whew! Chapter eight already. I would have gotten bored by now with most fics

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Kyla read through the notes she had taken that morning, trying to memorise something of them for the test next week.

"So... Any new cuts or bruises?" Nia asked Kyla.

Kyla looked up. "Huh?"

"I _said_... Do you have any new cuts or bruises?" Nia wanted to know. "You know, from your foster father."

"Um, it _was_ only yesterday that I told you," Kyla replied.

"So?" Nia said. "A lot can happen in one day, you know."

_Don't I know it,_ Kyla thought to herself. But, outwardly, she merely shrugged, and returned to studying her notes.

"Will you please stop looking at those?" Nia asked. "I want to ask you something."

"But we have a test next week," Kyla replied.

"Yes, but you can study for it when you're at home..." Nia began. Then, she frowned. "Oh, no. I guess you can't."

_I wouldn't start pushing Nia away again now,_ Nareen's voice said in Kyla's mind.

_I'm not!_ Kyla protested.

_If you say so._

Kyla sighed inwardly, then raised her eyes from her notes and looked at Nia. "What was it you wanted to ask?" she wanted to know.

"I want to know if you really care about Ryou," Nia answered.

_Oh, no,_ Kyla thought. _Why'd Nia have to ask _that_?_

_What's wrong?_ Nareen demanded. _You _do_ care about Ryou... Don't you?_

_That's hardly the point!_ Kyla snapped.

_She already knows that you care about him,_ Nareen replied. _All you'll be doing is confirming that you do. Is that so difficult?_

_I guess not,_ Kyla grumbled. She looked at Nia, and bit her lip slightly, wondering how she was going to answer Nia's question.

"Well?" Nia said.

Kyla gave a slight shrug. "All right, I _do_," she replied.

"I knew it!" Nia exclaimed.

"Don't let it go to your head," Kyla retorted. "You were right. So what?"

"So... You have a yami?" Nia asked suddenly.

Kyla stared at Nia. "_What_?" she demanded.

"Well, I assume you _do_ have one," Nia answered calmly. "_I_ have one. And I'm still annoyed with you for making me feel like I was going insane."

Kyla looked down. "Sorry," she muttered, feeling guilty.

"It's all right," Nia replied promptly. "You're forgiven."

_Forgiven,_ Kyla thought to herself. _I hope that Ryou will be able to forgive me when he returns. For everything I put him through._ Out loud, she said, "What do you think Riana meant when she said that Ina was below Yami's station?"

"Probably because Yami was the Pharaoh and Ina was just an ordinary noblewoman," was Nia's response.

"Do you suppose that Riana may have wanted Yami for herself?" Kyla wanted to know.

_The cow!_ Nareen's voice echoed in Kyla's mind. _She'd better not have!_ From the look on Nia's face, Kyla guessed that _her_ yami had reacted in much the same way.

"What _did_ happen to Riana, anyway?" Nia wondered. "She _can't_ have succeeded in her plan... Otherwise, we'd be seeing more evidence of her around."

"I have no idea," Kyla replied. _What do _you_ think?_ she silently asked her yami.

_I don't know either,_ Nareen answered. _But I think that Nia's right. If Riana _had_ succeeded in her plan, it would be obvious._

"Nareen doesn't know," Kyla told Nia.

Nia grimaced slightly. "Neither does Ina," she said. "Riana _must_ have been stopped somehow... But _how_? And who by?"

Kyla just shrugged. "We're not likely to find out the answers to those questions," she said. "Not yet, at least."

Nia nodded slowly. "Kyla, what are you going to do about your foster parents?" she wanted to know. "You _can't_ let them keep abusing you like this."

"They're _not_ abusing me!" Kyla protested. "They aren't raping me. Besides, I deserve most of it."

Nia's eyes flashed angrily. "Is that _really_ what you believe?" she demanded. "There's more than one form of abuse, Kyla. And from what I've seen, even if you _did_ deserve to be punished for something, which I highly doubt, you did _not_ deserve to have _that_ much done to you."

_She has a point,_ Nareen's voice said in Kyla's mind.

_Oh, be quiet,_ Kyla replied.

Kyla folded her arms, and glared at Nia.

"Let me guess," Nia said. "Your yami agrees with me."

"We seem to have accepted this pretty quickly," Kyla muttered.

"Speak for yourself," Nia laughed. "I freaked out the first time Ina spoke to me... And those dream-memories _really_ disturbed me the first couple of times I had them. I was sure that I was going crazy."

"_I_ was convinced that I was going mad when Nareen first spoke to _me_," Kyla admitted. "I'd already dreamt about her... But I thought that was all it was. A dream."

"Poor thing," Nia commented, a sympathetic look in her eyes. "Why don't you talk to anyone about anything, Kyla? _I'd_ listen to you, and so would Ryou. Neither of us would have thought that you were mad."

Kyla looked down, and shifted uncomfortably. "I've gotten used to keeping things to myself," she mumbled. "Ok, maybe it _is_ unhealthy... But I've learned to only rely on myself."

"You don't _have_ to rely only on yourself any more," Nia told her friend with a smile. "You have me... And, when he returns, you'll have Ryou, too."

Kyla gave a slightly bitter smile. "How _can_ I still have Ryou after the way I treated him?" she asked.

"Ryou cares deeply about you," Nia answered. "He loves you. Why else do you think he's stayed with you this whole time, and left only because of his friends?"

Kyla looked down again, biting her lip. Despite what Nia said, she didn't believe that she would still have Ryou's friendship, let alone his love, when he finally returned from Duelist Kingdom.

If_ he finally returns,_ Kyla thought to herself, fingering her necklace.

"Don't look now, Kyla," Nia said in a low voice. "But someone's watching us."

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Read and review, please!


	10. Chapter Nine Learning to Duel

Soul Battle 

Chapter Nine - Learning to Duel 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh, though I claim the characters Kyla, Nia, and Riku, and I'm not making any money from this fic 

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"What should we do?" Kyla whispered to Nia. 

_Why don't you see what he wants?_ Nareen suggested. 

_I wasn't asking_ you_!_ Kyla retorted. 

"What did your yami say?" Nia wanted to know. "That we should see what he wants," Kyla answered, shooting a discreet glance at the tall, slim, brown-haired man watching them. 

"Well... Maybe Nareen's right," Nia said. "After all, she wouldn't do anything that would be dangerous to _you_, Kyla." 

_She's right, Kyla,_ Nareen said softly. _You_ should_ go talk to him. He already knows who you and Nia are._

Nia's eyes widened, and Kyla guessed that Ina was saying pretty much the same thing to her. 

"You want to go see him?" Kyla asked. "Our yamis will never leave us alone unless we do what they want." She smiled, and it felt a little strange. 

Nia blinked. She couldn't remember _ever_ hearing _that_ tone from her friend before. _Maybe there _is_ some hope for her after all?_ she thought to herself. 

_But remember what you've learned about Kyla's life in her foster home,_ Ina cautioned. _She's had to become extremely tough to survive. She won't change completely, Nia. Not while she's still living with her foster parents. Not unless she wants to go mad or lose the tiny bit of hope she has left._

_She still has hope?_ Nia asked, mentally narrowing her eyes. _I would have thought that she would have lost _all_ her hope by now._

_No, she hasn't, Nia,_ Ina replied. _If she _had_ lost all of her hope, she wouldn't be acting like she is now._

Not showing any sign of the conversation she and Ina had just had, Nia straightened to her feet. "All right," she said. "Let's go and see what's so important about this man." 

Kyla nodded, and led the way over to the man. "Hello," she said. 

The man bowed his head to Nia and Kyla. "Hello," he replied. "My name is Riku." 

"I'm Kyla, and this is my friend, Nia," Kyla said. 

"Why were you watching us just now?" Nia demanded bluntly. 

"_Nia_!" Kyla gasped. 

_It's all right, Kyla,_ Nareen's voice said in Kyla's mind. _He's a friend._

"I wonder if you might like to learn about Duel Monsters," Riku answered. 

"Duel Monsters?" Kyla frowned. 

"Isn't that the reason why Yugi and the others went to that island?" Nia asked. 

"Duelist Kingdom," Riku corrected. 

Kyla looked from Nia to Riku and back again. "How come _I_ don't know anything about Duel Monsters?" she asked. 

_Probably because you refused to listen to _anyone_,_ Nareen replied. 

Nia tilted her head to the side. "Do I really need to answer that?" she wanted to know. 

"Guess not," Kyla muttered. "Nareen already answered it." 

"Well?" Riku asked. 

"I don't really see any point in learning about Duel Monsters..." Kyla began. 

"_I_ think that we should learn," Nia interrupted. "It'll be a good way to pass the time until..." Her voice trailed off. 

_Until what?_ Ina asked. _Until Yugi comes back?_

Nia blushed. _Of course not!_ she replied, feeling embarrassed. 

_You can't fool _me_,_ Ina laughed. 

"Something wrong, Nia?" Kyla asked. 

"No!" Nia replied. 

Kyla sweatdropped slightly. "Ok, if you say so," she murmured. 

Nia turned to Riku. "We want to learn about Duel Monsters," she told him without bothering to ask Kyla. 

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Later, Kyla was looking through her dueling deck while Nia was reading one of the rule books for Duel Monsters. 

"How are you doing, Kyla?" Nia wanted to know. 

"Ok, I guess," Kyla answered. "At least, I'm beginning to understand _some_ of the rules of Duel Monsters... But I keep coming back to one card in particular." She held up a card for Nia to see. 

The monster was a lithe woman with long wood-brown hair wearing a long dress that seemed to be made out of leaves. The card was called 'The Wood Nymph', and had an attack power of 2500 and a defense power of 2300. 

"_I_ have one that _I_ keep coming back to as well," Nia said, holding up a card of her own. 

The card was called, 'The Light Princess', and had on it a white shape which seemed to be in the form of a woman. Its attack power was 2300, and its defense power was 2500. 

"Hm, weird," Kyla commented, looking at the card. 

"I can't _wait_ to test mine out," Nia grinned. 

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	11. Chapter Ten Training

Soul Battle 

Chapter Ten - Training 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh, and I'm not making any money from this fic 

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A few days later, Kyla's foster father gave her a severe beating. Lying curled up on her bed afterwards, Kyla found it hard to believe that there was any good in the world.__

_If there _is_, it doesn't exist for _me_,_ Kyla thought to herself. _Perhaps this is my punishment.___

_Punishment for _what_?_ Nareen wanted to know. _For how you've been treating the people who care about you? I don't think so, Kyla._

Kyla couldn't reply to that. Instead, she said, _How long do I have to go through this for? What if I end up losing my mind?___

_I'm sure that you _won't_,_ Nareen replied, trying to be reassuring. _Remember, you're not alone anymore. You have Nia now that you've admitted what's going on in your life to her. Anyway, you have to hold on until Ryou returns so that you can apologise to him.___

_I suppose you're right,_ Kyla sighed. _But I_ really_ don't think that I can hold out for much longer. Even after Ryou comes back, I'll still suffer at the hands of my foster father...___

_It's best not to think about that,_ Nareen told Kyla. _After all, you've got Duel Monsters to help keep your mind firmly grounded._

Kyla just sighed, and fell asleep. 

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_Nareen had sneaked out of her house, and was now seated next to one of the rivers in Egypt. Though she wouldn't admit it to _anyone_, Nareen was fascinated by the quiet beauty of rivers. She rather liked just sitting by them. She didn't have to pretend to be something she really _wasn't_ while sitting there.___

_Suddenly, Nareen became aware of someone walking up behind her. Glancing up, she saw Bakura standing just behind her.___

_Bakura smiled awkwardly. "Hello, Nareen," he said.___

_Nareen inclined her head slightly. "Greetings, Bakura," she replied, thinking, _Now what does he _want?___

_Bakura sat on the river bank next to Nareen. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" he wanted to know.___

_"Looking at the river," Nareen answered._

_"Yeah... It _is_ kind of nice, isn't it?" Bakura said._

Hm, maybe I could use him?_ Nareen thought to herself. After a moment's hesitation, she reached out, and ran her fingers lightly down Bakura's cheek.___

_The young man blinked. For just a moment, a trace of suspicion came into his eyes. But it quickly vanished as Nareen lightly grasped his collar, and pulled him down to kiss him hard on the lips._

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_Now what was _that_ all about?_ Kyla silently demanded of her yami the next morning.__

_I have absolutely_ no_ idea,_ Nareen answered, her mental tone sounding puzzled. I_ certainly didn't give you that dream. Someone _else_ must have sent it to you.___

_But who?_ Kyla asked. _And_ why_?___

_I don't know,_ Nareen replied. _I really don't. And I don't even know if whoever it was is someone with a good motive or a bad motive._

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"What happened?" Nia asked Kyla when they met in Riku's house, where they were learning about Duel Monsters. 

Kyla blinked. "Nothing's wrong!" she replied quickly. "Honest. Why would you think that there is something wrong?" 

Nia looked steadily at Kyla. "I'm not stupid, Kyla," she told her friend. "It's pretty obvious that _something's_ happened. You don't have to tell me _what_, though. I can guess. Your foster father beat you." 

Kyla opened her mouth to object, and then closed it again with a soft sigh. "You're right," she said finally. 

"Sore?" Nia asked sympathetically. 

Kyla nodded, thinking, _I wonder if _Ryou_ would have been this sympathetic if I'd told him about my foster father?___

_Of _course_ he would have been,_ Nareen replied. _Don't you realise? Ryou _still _loves you, even after all you put him through._

"I had a dream last night," Kyla commented to Nia while they waited for Riku to arrive. 

"Oh?" Nia said. 

"It was one of those dream memories," Kyla explained. "I think it was when Nareen and Bakura first started having a... relationship."__

_It was,_ Nareen's voice said in Kyla's mind. 

"Ok, I just had that confirmed," Kyla added. 

Nia frowned. "But... _Why_ would you have a dream like that?" she wanted to know. "There's no obvious point to it. Nareen didn't send it to you, did she?" 

"She says that she didn't," Kyla replied. "And, besides, there would be no point in her sending _that_ particular dream to me." 

At just that moment, Riku walked into the room. 

Nia and Kyla both looked up and towards him, the rest of their conversation forgotten for the moment. They were both interested in what else they were going to learn about Duel Monsters. Well, _Nia_ was interested... Kyla was trying to pretend that she _wasn't_, even though she _was_. 

"So... What's on the schedule for today, Riku?" Nia asked. 

"I thought that Kyla would be ready for a duel," Riku answered. 

Kyla blinked. _He_ can't_ be serious!_ she thought to herself. _What about Nia?___

_Of course he's serious,_ Nareen replied. _You'd have to duel at some point anyway, Kyla. At least this'll be a friendly one, with no strings attached. Those kind of duels are the best kind._

"_Cool_!" Nia exclaimed. 

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_So... This is my first duel,_ Kyla thought, looking down at the field from the stand she was on. She swallowed hard, feeling a little nervous. 

"It's time to duel," Riku said as their life points went up to 1000. 

"Go Kyla!" Nia exclaimed. 

Kyla drew her cards, and scanned them quickly. _Oh, great,_ she groaned. _Not a very good hand._

"Sonic Jammer, in attack mode," Kyla said, laying the card face-up on the field. 

"Electric Lizard," Riku responded, laying the card. "Attack the Sonic Jammer!" The Sonic Jammer was destroyed, and Kyla's life points went down by 200. 

Kyla drew Avatar of The Pot, and played it in attack mode. It attacked the Electric Lizard and destroyed it, lowering Riku's life points to 500. 

Then, Kyla received a numbing shock, and she gasped, stumbling a little. 

"Kyla!" Nia gasped, making as if to run over to Kyla. 

"Stay where you are!" Riku ordered immediately. 

Surprised, Nia obeyed as Kyla recovered from the shock. 

Riku drew a card, and smiled as he saw which one it was. "Gale Lizard, in attack mode!" he exclaimed. "And the effect of this card allows me to return one monster from your side of the field to your hand," he added. "And since you only have one monster on the field..." 

"Oh, no!" Nia cried as Kyla's Avatar of The Pot was returned to her hand. 

"Attack her life points!" Riku ordered his monster. 

Kyla bit her lip to stop herself from crying out as her life points went down to 150. 

"Pharaoh's Servant, in defense mode," Kyla muttered, playing the card. 

The Gale Lizard destroyed that monster easily. 

Kyla played two more monsters in defense mode, both of them weak, and they were both easily destroyed by the Gale Lizard. 

Then, Kyla drew another card, and stared at it. Then, "Gren Maju Da Eiza, in attack mode!" Because the attack and defense of that particular card was the number of cards removed from play times 400, its attack and defense were both 1600, so it was easily able to defeat the Gale Lizard. Then, Kyla put a trap card face-down on the field, before ending her turn. 

Riku drew a card, and played it. "Magician of Faith, in attack mode!" 

Just before the monster attacked, Kyla turned over her face-down card, revealing Desert Sunlight, which automatically put her monster in the defensive position, so it being destroyed had no effect on her life points. 

Then, Kyla drew her next card - The Wood Nymph. "Attack the Magician of Faith!" she ordered. 

The Magician of Faith was destroyed, and Riku's life points went down to 0. 

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Read and review, please!


	12. Chapter Eleven Kidnap!

Soul Battle 

Chapter Eleven - Kidnap! 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh, and I'm not making any money from this fic 

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Kyla and Nia were sitting on the grass outside school at lunchtime. They'd just finished eating, and Nia still couldn't get over the fact that Kyla had, by a fluke, won her first holographic duel. 

"I mean, it was _so_ cool!" Nia exclaimed enthusiastically. "I was _so_ worried about you after the Electric Lizard. And I nearly had a heart attack when Riku's Gale Lizard attacked your life points!" 

"Well... Thank you for worrying about me," Kyla said with a small smile. Smiling didn't feel so weird now. She was getting more used to being at least a _little_ happy. "It was certainly _very_ different to playing just with the cards," she added. 

"I guess using holograms _would_ be," Nia replied. "They would _definitely_ freak _me_ out." She shuddered. 

"Is that why you flatly refused to even go _near_ the stand and duel?" Kyla wanted to know. 

"Um, yeah," Nia answered, blushing slightly. "Kind of silly, huh?" 

"Not really," Kyla said with a small frown. "If you _really_ don't like dueling using holograms, then you don't have to. It's as simple as that, Nia."__

_See?_ Nareen's voice said in Kyla's mind. _It's not _that_ difficult to be nice to people... Is it, Kyla?___

_I never said it _wasn't_!_ Kyla protested. _That wasn't fair, Nareen. Just because _you_ changed too late, it doesn't mean that _I've_ changed too late. I'm still here, after all._ Your_ spirit may have been sealed away... But _mine_ hasn't been.___

_I wouldn't be so sure that you haven't changed too late,_ Nareen replied.__

_What's_ that_ supposed to mean?_ Kyla demanded.__

_Remember that Ryou's got that weird golden ring-shaped necklace?_ Nareen answered. _That's the millennium ring. When I first saw it, I recognised it in some deep way because of the special... _abilities_... that I have. And I _know_ that it holds Bakura's spirit, though I could not say how or why. But Bakura _is_ evil.___

_Oh, no,_ Kyla whispered. _Nareen, isn't there _any_ way that Bakura could be stopped?___

_You mean by _us_?_ Nareen sighed. _I know that Bakura wasn't _always_ evil... In fact, he and the Pharaoh used to be quite good friends.___

_Oh, yes,_ Kyla said. _Pharaoh Yami. Is it possible that _his_ spirit could be trapped in _Yugi's_ necklace thingy?___

_I don't know,_ Nareen replied. _You'll have to ask Nia to ask Ina _that_.___

_All right,_ Kyla sighed. 

"Interesting conversation?" Nia asked curiously. 

Kyla nodded. "You know Bakura?" she said. "Nareen told me that his spirit is trapped in Ryou's millennium ring... Which sort of makes him Ryou's yami, I guess. Anyway, does Ina know if Yugi's necklace thingy holds the spirit of Pharaoh Yami?" 

"Hold on, let me check." Nia paused for a long moment, then looked at Kyla. "Ina says that he is."__

_Oh, no,_ Nareen groaned. _That's really _not_ good._ _But Bakura _must_ have _some_ good in him,_ Kyla said. _He didn't _seem_ too evil in those dream memories... Besides, he was clearly in love with you back in Ancient Egypt. He probably still is.___

_Maybe you're right,_ Nareen replied with a sigh. But she didn't sound very convinced at all. 

"Hey, do you know anything about Pegasus?" Nia asked suddenly. 

"No, not really," Kyla answered. 

"Ok," Nia replied. "I think I have a picture of him in a magazine." She started looking through her bag, and finally picked out a magazine. She flipped to a specific page, and then held the magazine up for Kyla to see. 

Kyla stared at the picture. _Odd,_ she thought to herself. _He looks familiar... But I _know_ that I've never seen him before in my life! Ok, maybe I _have_ seen him... And just remembered subconsciously. That _must_ be it! Because there's no other explanation._

"You know, I've been thinking," Nia said suddenly after putting the magazine away. 

Kyla raised an eyebrow inquiringly. "What is it?" she wanted to know. 

"I want you to have this," Nia told Kyla, handing her friend a card. 

Kyla took it, and stared at it. 

It was The Light Princess. 

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A couple of days later, Nia and Kyla arrived at Riku's house. 

After quizzing the two on various cards and their effects, strategies, and the rules of Duel Monsters, Riku finally said, "All right. I think that you two have learned everything you possibly can about Duel Monsters. Anything else, you're going to have to learn by actually dueling." 

Nia and Kyla exchanged glances, and then Nia grinned. "All right!" she exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. 

"_However_," Riku continued. "There is something that I think belongs to each of you. But you have to promise to take care of them." 

"We will," Nia said while Kyla merely nodded. 

"All right. I will just go and get them." With those words, Riku left the room.__

_What is he talking about?_ Kyla silently asked her yami.__

_Wait and see,_ Nareen replied mysteriously, clearly amused.__

_I think that you're keeping secrets just to annoy me,_ Kyla muttered. 

Nareen just laughed as Riku came back into the room. He held out two objects - one to Nia, and one to Kyla. 

Nia gasped. "It _can't_ be!" she cried. 

The two objects were a crystal star and a crystal bracelet. 

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That evening, Nia was walking home. She was mostly concentrating on the crystal bracelet which she knew held her yami, Ina.__

_That's weird,_ Nia silently commented to Ina. _How come _Riku_ had these two crystal items? And aren't there more than _two_?___

_Those two crystal items have been passed down through Riku's family for centuries,_ Ina answered. _And as for the _other_ crystal items? Well, find Riana... And you'll probably find _them_.___

_Well... That means that we're going to have to find Riana, then,_ Nia replied cheerfully. 

Ina didn't reply, because, at that moment, a familiar figure stepped out of the shadows and into Nia's path. 

Nia stopped dead. "_Ryou_!" she gasped. "What are _you_ doing here? Is Yugi around?" 

The teenager just smiled. "I'm not Ryou," he replied. Then, before Nia could do anything, he took hold of her arm, and made her disappear. 

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Read and review, please!


	13. Chapter Twelve Return

Soul Battle 

Chapter Twelve - Return 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh, and I'm not making any money from this fic 

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Kyla woke up with an extremely odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. Almost like she was having an attack of nerves about something. 

_Kyla, I'm worried,_ Nareen's voice said in Kyla's mind. 

_What is it?_ Kyla asked. 

_I felt someone get taken to the Shadow Realm,_ Nareen answered. _I think that it may have been Ina. And, therefore, Nia as well._

_The Shadow Realm?_ Kyla said. _What's that?_

_It's a realm which ordinary mortals can't go to,_ Nareen explained._ I'm not going to tell you _too_ much about it._

_But... Then that means that Nia's in danger!_ Kyla cried. _What am I going to do, Nareen? Who could have trapped Nia and Ina in the Shadow Realm?_

_I think that _Bakura_ is a possibility,_ Nareen replied reluctantly. _And, if it _was_ him, then that means that he probably _wants_ something. I couldn't say _what_, though._

__Kyla got ready in record time, slipping the necklace Ryou had given her, and the crystal star, around her neck. Then, she grabbed her bag, and raced down the stairs. 

"Get back here, Kyla!" Stefan yelled. 

Kyla hesitated. She _knew_ that if she went to Stefan, he would beat her severely... But if she _didn't_ go, then it would be so much worse later on. 

_I'll just have to deal with it,_ Kyla thought to herself, trembling slightly. Ignoring Stefan's second call, she yanked open the front door, and ran out. 

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Kyla made her way slowly to her school. She was hoping against hope that Nareen was wrong - that Nia was _not_ trapped in the Shadow Realm. But she had to admit that it didn't look very good. 

_Are you _sure_ that you can no longer sense Ina?_ Kyla demanded of Nareen for the tenth time. 

_Yes, I'm _sure_,_ Nareen replied patiently for the tenth time. _I suppose that there _could_ be another explanation... But, personally, I don't think that there _is_ one._

_Can you sense Bakura around at all?_ Kyla wanted to know. 

_I..._ Nareen began. Then, _Yes, I can sense him! Be careful, Kyla!_

_Huh?_ Kyla said. Then, she spotted someone familiar in front of her. _Oh, I see what you mean, Nareen. Is it possible that that could be _Ryou_ rather than Bakura?_

_No, it's definitely Bakura,_ Nareen replied as the teenager walked over to Kyla. _Be careful, Kyla. At the moment, he's the only one who can bring Nia back from the Shadow Realm. Ina and I don't have that power._

Kyla tilted her head to one side, and regarded the evil spirit of the millennium ring carefully. "Hello, Bakura," she said finally. "Alone today? No Ryou around?" 

_Oh, great,_ Nareen sighed. _Kyla, _please_ don't make him angry. You _won't_ like it. He can get _very_ violent when he's angry._

_As violent as my foster father?_ Kyla wanted to know. 

_Even _more_ violent,_ Nareen answered. She hesitated for a long moment, then said, _Then again, if you think you can handle it, go ahead and make him angry._ There was a slight trace of sarcasm in the yami's mental tone. 

_Be nice,_ Kyla murmured. 

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you already know that I'm _not_ Ryou?" he said. "That makes it _so_ much easier. I don't have to be like my hikari and pretend that I love you." 

_Don't listen to him, Kyla,_ Nareen's voice said immediately in Kyla's mind._ He's lying. Ryou doesn't_ pretend_ to love you. He really _does_ love you._

"What have you done to Nia?" Kyla demanded. 

"I took her to the Shadow Realm," Bakura replied coldly. 

_I_ knew_ it!_ Nareen exclaimed. 

_I thought we already established that,_ Kyla muttered. _Now all we need to do is work out how we can get her out._ Out loud, she asked, "Why did you do that? What did you hope to gain from it?" 

"Ultimate power," Bakura answered. 

_Just like Riana!_ Nareen realised. 

Kyla echoed her yami's words: "Just like Riana." 

"Who?" Bakura frowned. 

"Riana, in Ancient Egypt," Kyla explained. "You know... With Nareen and Ina? In the temple?" 

"I have _no_ idea what you're talking about," Bakura replied. 

_Oh, Ra!_ Nareen said. _He doesn't remember!_

_He must have had his memories erased somehow,_ Kyla tried to reassure Nareen. _Maybe there's a way to get them back?_

_I hope so,_ Nareen said miserably. 

"You want your friend back?" Bakura asked suddenly. 

"Of course I do!" Kyla snapped. 

Bakura smiled coldly. "Then duel me for her soul," he told Kyla. "If _you_ win, then you get your friend back... But if _I_ win, then I get to keep _your_ soul as well. _But_," he added. "You may not tell Yugi, or _any_ of his friends, about this." 

"But that's _two_ conditions!" Kyla protested. 

"That's right," Bakura replied. 

_Take those conditions!_ Nareen ordered. 

_But that's not fair!_ Kyla cried. 

_I_ know_ that it isn't,_ Nareen said. _But it's the _only_ possible chance that Nia has._

_Well... Maybe there's a way to make it at least a _little_ better,_ Kyla said thoughtfully. 

_Oh? And how would _that_ be?_ Nareen wanted to know. 

Kyla didn't reply to Nareen. Instead, she said out loud, to Bakura, "All right. It's a deal. _But_, if I duel you, and _I_ win... Then, as well as getting Nia's soul back, _you_ have to stop trying to get ultimate power and harming people!" 

_Hm... _That_ might work,_ Nareen commented. 

Bakura stared at Kyla, but she refused to back down. 

"All right," Bakura said finally. "Agreed. I'm going to win anyway, so what does it matter what _you_ want?" 

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_"Wake up. Nia, wake up."_

_Nia rolled over. "I don't really want to wake up, mum," she said absently. "I don't feel very well. I don't think I should go to school today."_

_"_Nia_!" The female's voice grew insistent, and she shook Nia, then slapped her cheek._

_Nia's eyes immediately flew open. "_Hey_!" she protested. Then, she caught sight of her surroundings, and looked around with a frown. "Where am I?" she demanded._

_"In the Shadow Realm," a girl's voice answered._

_Nia looked in front of her, and jumped. "_Ina_!" she cried. "What are _you_ doing outside of my mind? And how'd we get here?"_

_Ina frowned slightly. "I guess that I'm out of your mind because this is the Shadow Realm," she answered. "And Bakura brought us here. Don't you remember?"_

_"Oh, yeah," Nia replied. "Ina, why would Bakura do that?"_

_Ina just shrugged. "I don't know how we're going to get out of here, either," she said. "I guess that we're going to have to rely on Nareen and Kyla to rescue us."_

_"That's all right," Nia commented. "_I_ don't mind relying on Kyla. I trust her. If _anyone_ can get us out of here, _Kyla_ can."_

_"I hope you're right," Ina muttered. "I _really_ hope you are. Because I _really_ don't want to be stuck here."_

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Kyla had spotted Yugi, Tea, Tristan, Joey, and Ryou around school, but she had kept out of their way. She was almost sure that Yugi would ask her if she knew where Nia was, and she wasn't sure how she could answer that. 

Besides, as well as Bakura, Kyla had also seen someone who looked a _lot_ like Yugi, who she guessed was Pharaoh Yami. She didn't know how much Yami remembered about his past, and _Nareen_ was no help at _all_. 

At lunchtime, Kyla made to go off on her own, but three girls called her over. The one who called her over had long, wavy, light brown hair. The other two had golden hair, one which was cut into a bob, and the other's reached down to her shoulders. 

"Hello," Kyla said cautiously. 

The brown-haired girl smiled brightly. "Hello," she replied. "My name's Joanne. This is Liz, and that's Sylvia." She pointed to the short-haired blonde, and then to the other. 

"We couldn't help noticing that Nia wasn't with you," Liz commented. 

"Is something wrong?" Sylvia asked. 

_You can trust them,_ Nareen told Kyla. 

Kyla hesitated, and then leaned forward. "You see, it's like this..." she began. 

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Later, Kyla was walking back to her house. She was dragging her feet, not wanting to face her foster father. She _knew_ that Stefan would make her pay for running out that morning. 

_Don't worry about it, Kyla,_ Nareen said. _You're strong enough to survive Stefan._

Kyla just sighed. _At least Joanne, Liz, and Sylvia believed me and have offered to help me,_ she muttered. 

_Ryou's ahead,_ Nareen said. _That's _Ryou_, not Bakura._

Kyla peered ahead of her. Sure enough, there was Ryou standing there. Unsure of what else to do, she slowly walked over to him. 

Ryou's hands raised, and, after a moment's hesitation, he gently laid them on Kyla's shoulder. "Kyla, I want you to answer something truthfully for me," he said. "When I was gone... Did you miss me at all?" 

Kyla hesitated for a long moment. Then, thinking that actions were better than words, she slipped her hand round to press lightly on the back of Ryou's neck, to make his head move forward so that she could kiss him. 

Ryou stiffened slightly. Then, he was kissing back, his hands moving to clutch Kyla tightly to him. His hands slid over her back, and it seemed like he would never let her go. 

_Oh, shoot!_ Kyla thought. _My foster father!_ Suddenly, she pulled away from Ryou, and ran off. 

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Read and review, please! 

Come on, people! With all of the writes/readers on here, surely _some_ people must be hitting on this story and reading it. I wasn't going to say anything... But I really think that two reviews for twelve chapters aren't exactly good. 

I'm not going to refuse to write unless I get reviews... But getting encouraging feedback _does_ help. How do I know if this story is good or not unless people review it? 

I'm not going to be posting on here for a few days, as I'm going away camping. Hopefully, though, I should be back in about a week


	14. Chapter Thirteen Aid in Training

Soul Battle 

Chapter Thirteen - Aid in Training 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh (though the characters Riku, Kyla, Nia, Liz, Sylvia, Joanne, and Joanne's mum, and the storyline, are the products of _my_ twisted imagination), and I'm not making any money from this fic 

**Author's Note:** Yup, I'm back! For now, anyway 

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Kyla lay face-down on her bed that morning, her body aching all over. She could barely move, she was in so much pain. 

_Oh, god,_ Kyla groaned silently. _I really _don't_ feel like going to school today._

_Then don't go,_ Nareen responded. 

_And stay _here? 

_Good point, _Nareen replied. 

Moving _very_ slowly, Kyla carefully levered herself off of her bed. She closed her eyes as her muscles literally _screamed_ with pain. 

_You all right?_ Nareen asked sympathetically. 

_I'll _live_, if that's what you mean,_ Kyla answered ruefully. _I'll probably also be able to pretend that I'm all right as well... I hope._

_So you're not going to tell Ryou about your foster parents, then?_ Nareen sighed. 

_Didn't you _hear_ what Bakura said?_ Kyla demanded. _I_ can't_ tell Ryou a thing! He counts among Yugi's friends. If I tell him _anything_, then I'll lose _any_ chance of helping Nia _and_ Ina. Kissing Ryou was a mistake,_ she added. _I should never have done it. Ryou and Nia mean more to me than _anything_... But to save Nia, I _can't_ let Ryou know that. Not yet, at least._

_Why not?_ Nareen wanted to know. 

_Because I'd then have to tell him about Nia,_ Kyla replied. _And I _can't_ do that. Bakura won't let me._

_Maybe you're right, _Nareen sighed. _But how are you going to explain to Ryou _why_ you kissed him?_

_I'm not even going to try,_ Kyla answered. _If I pretend that it never happened... Maybe Ryou will, too._

_Despite the fact that that's the last thing you want to do?_ Nareen asked. 

_I have _no_ choice,_ Kyla said. If _I manage to win the duel, which isn't very likely, I'll explain _everything_ to Ryou. And if I lose, it won't matter anyway._

_What if it's then too late?_

_I just hope that it's not,_ Kyla muttered. 

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"So, how's your deck?" Joanne asked Kyla. 

Kyla shrugged, ignoring the rush of pain that swept through her with that movement. "It's ok, I suppose," she replied. "In _my_ opinion, it's quite strong... But then, that's just me." 

"Can I see?" Sylvia asked. 

"Sylvia's our resident expert on Duel Monsters," Liz confided to Kyla in a low voice. "She's quite good at putting together strong decks. _And_, she's won most of the mock duels we've played... Of course, we don't know how she'd do in a real live tournament." 

"Have you tried duelling with the monsters as _holograms_?" Kyla wanted to know as she handed her deck to Sylvia. 

"Actually, no," Joanne answered. "We've _thought_ about it... But we've never really had a reason to do so." 

"But now we _do_," Liz put in. "After all, this duel is going to be done using holograms, isn't it?" 

"I guess so," Kyla said. 

_Of _course_ it is going to be,_ Nareen told Kyla. _This is Bakura, after all. He'll _definitely_ use the holograms._

_Ok, if you're sure,_ Kyla replied. 

_I knew Bakura _very_ well in Ancient Egypt,_ Nareen reminded Kyla. 

_Yes, but how much has he changed since then?_ Kyla asked. _After all, Bakura doesn't even remember you now._

Nareen had no reply to that, and she didn't try to invent one. 

"You know, my younger sister knows Mokuba Kaiba quite well," Joanne said thoughtfully then. "Maybe, if we asked nicely, he'd be able to get his brother to let us use one of the KaibaCorp buildings to practise in." 

Liz looked at Kyla. "How much free time do you have after school?" she wanted to know. 

"Very little," Kyla answered, though she didn't say _why_. 

"Ok..." Joanne said. "We'll have to get you trained at lunchtimes and at weekends, then." 

Before Kyla could protest at training at weekends, Sylvia handed her her deck back. 

"It's a very good deck," the blonde told Kyla. "You have a lot of strong cards in it. If you can learn how to use them in a strategic way, you'll stand a good chance of winning." 

"Oh, good," Kyla muttered. "I need every possible advantage. _Without_ having to cheat. This duel is too important to just mess around." 

"And the stakes are much higher," Joanne added, frowning. "Fighting for people's souls... And your yami cannot help you?" 

Kyla shook her head. "I'd better get going," she said then. 

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Kyla scanned the cards she had picked, her face expressionless. 

Kyla and Liz were duelling. Sylvia was standing to one side and watching, while Joanne had disappeared off somewhere. 

"You know, you're not exactly an easy opponent to play against," Liz commented. "You don't show even a _hint_ of what you're thinking on your face." 

Kyla looked at Liz, and gave a small smile. "Sorry," she said. 

"Oh, it's all right," Liz replied. "I'm not mad at you or anything. I was just thinking that it kind of gives you an edge." 

"Hey, are you going to _duel_, or just stand around talking?" Sylvia demanded impatiently. 

"Oh, right," Liz said, a little embarrassed. "I'll lay first." She placed a monster card face-up on the field. "The Cannonball Spear Shellfish, in attack mode." 

Kyla laid _her_ card - Chaosrider Gustaph. Then, she put another card face-down on the field. 

"_Darn_," Liz muttered. "You just took 200 of my life points - leaving me with 1800." 

Kyla merely blinked. Then, she shrugged. "I'd be lucky to knock 200 points off of _Bakura's_ life points." 

"Good point," Liz said. She drew a monster - the Feral Imp - and laid it in defense mode. Then, she laid another card face-down on the field. 

_Don't look now, but some people are watching you duel,_ Nareen warned Kyla. 

_Who?_ Kyla asked. 

_Yugi, Pharaoh Yami, Tea, Joey, Tristan, and Ryou,_ Nareen answered. _No Bakura, though._

_Oh, ok,_ Kyla replied. _Let's just hope they don't ask any questions which I'm _forbidden_ to answer._ Then, she returned to concentrating on the duel. 

_Hm, the Feral Imp is quite a _weak_ monster,_ Kyla thought to herself. _But what about Liz's face-down card? If it's a spell card, I'll be safe... But what if it's a trap card?_ Finally, Kyla decided to take a gamble. She set the Chaosrider Gustaph in attack mode. 

Liz grinned. "Not so fast, Kyla," she said, whipping over her face-down card. "The spell-binding circle!" 

_Oh, no!_ Kyla thought as she realised that her monster was trapped. 

"_And_, I get to attack your life points directly," Liz added. 

Kyla's life points went down by 800. 

_Oh, great,_ Kyla thought. _At least Ryou and the others are too far away to see what just happened._

_Wanting to impress Ryou?_ Nareen teased. 

_No!_ Kyla replied. _I just want to win._

_Yeah, yeah. If you say so._ Nareen sounded amused. _You can't hide things from _me_, hikari._

Kyla didn't answer that. Instead, she looked through her hand, and then laid a monster face-up on the field. "The Gale Lizard, in attack mode," she said. "And its effect allows me to remove one monster from _your_ side of the field, and return it to your hand, leaving _my_ monster free to attack your life points." 

Liz's life points went down to 1000. 

Kyla lay another card face-down on her side of the field, then ended her turn. 

"Gaia The Fierce Knight, in attack mode," Liz said, laying the card. She also lay a card face-down on the field as Kyla's life points went down to 900. 

Kyla drew a card, and then blinked. _The Light Princess!_ she thought. _Nia's card. I forgot that she gave it to me... But should I use it? I don't want to waste it._

Kyla laid the card. "The Light Princess, in attack mode!" 

Gaia The Fierce Knight was destroyed, and Liz's life points went down to 650. 

Liz grinned. "_My_ turn!" she said. She turned over her face-down card. "Swords of Revealing Light!" 

Kyla immediately whipped over one of _her_ face-down cards. "Dust Barrier activated," she said. "It means that my monsters are unaffected by any of your spell cards." 

"Yes, that's true," Liz admitted. "But it'll be destroyed after your next turn... And then my Swords of Revealing Light card will be able to trap your monsters." 

_Which means that I'm going to have to try to win _before_ then,_ Kyla thought to herself. 

_Easier said than done,_ Nareen commented. 

_Oh, you're a _great_ help,_ Kyla muttered. 

_Nah,_ Nareen giggled. _I'm just here to stop your head from getting too swelled up. _And_ to make sure you don't forget just who it is you're duelling for, my cold-blooded little hikari._

"Um, Liz," Kyla said suddenly. "You forgot to lay a monster to defend yourself..." 

Liz grinned, and raised her hands. "Say no more. I've lost, I know. Good duel, Kyla." 

"Thanks," Kyla replied. "It was an honour to duel you," she added. And she meant it sincerely. 

_They're coming over,_ Nareen said suddenly. 

Sure enough, Yugi and the others were walking over. "Um, Kyla?" Yugi said. "Do you know where Nia is?" 

Kyla opened her mouth to give Yugi a scathing reply, then closed it again. _I can be reasonably nice _without_ revealing anything,_ she decided. Out loud, she said, "Yugi, I _can't_ tell you where Nia is." 

"Can't?" Joey butted in. "Or _won't_? If you weren't a girl, I'd punch you!" 

Kyla wasn't listening to Joey. Instead, her eyes were fixed on Ryou. Suddenly, she walked over to him, pulled his head down, and kissed him hard. Then, she pushed him away, and ran off. 

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Read and review, please!


	15. Chapter Fourteen Secrets Revealed

Soul Battle 

Chapter Fourteen - Secrets Revealed 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh (though I own the unfamiliar characters and the whole plot of this story), and I'm not making any money from this fic 

**Author's Note:** I apologise for any mistakes with the cards and the characters that I may have made... The only cards I've really been paying attention to are the ones Bakura uses, and I'm sure you know why that is 

Also, you may have noticed that, although Battle City hasn't actually happened in this fic, some of the things I've mentioned or used actually happened during the Battle City tournament. This is because it makes the fic easier to write, and I apologise again. 

Happy reading! 

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_Well, you certainly did a good job of pretending that that kiss never happened,_ Nareen commented to Kyla.__

_Oh, shut up,_ Kyla grumbled. _I love Ryou. I _can't_ just ignore him and act all cold around him now that I know how I feel.___

_Well, you're just going to have to keep away from Ryou,_ Nareen responded sharply.__

_And how are you going to achieve _that Kyla demanded. 

Nareen didn't reply to that. Instead, she said, _Bakura!_

Kyla stopped as the evil spirit of the millennium ring stepped in front of her. "Hello, Bakura," she said coolly. "Can I help you?"__

_You know, he hasn't questioned you knowing about him,_ Nareen suddenly commented. _I wonder why that could be?___

_Maybe he's just really cocky,_ Kyla replied, her mental tone sweet but deadly.__

_Kyla..._ Nareen said warningly. _Don't you _dare_ even _think_ about making Bakura mad!___

_Why not?_ Kyla asked.__

_Remember what your foster father does to you?_ Nareen answered. _What Bakura can do to you would be _so_ much worse._

"What did my hikari and his friends want?" Bakura demanded.__

_His hikari?_ Kyla thought. _Who's that? Oh, yeah. It's Ryou, _she remembered. 

"They wanted to know if _I_ knew anything about an evil spirit who's been trapping people in the Shadow Realm," Kyla replied, deliberately trying to goad Bakura.__

_Oh, Kyla,_ Nareen groaned. 

It worked. Bakura slammed Kyla up hard against a tree, his face right up close to hers. "_Don't_ try to push me!" he snarled. "You're playing with fire, Kyla... And fire always melts ice." 

"But what if the ice is already melting?" was Kyla's response. 

Bakura slapped Kyla hard across the face with enough force to split her lip. Then, he pulled her head forward by her hair, and hissed, "_Don't_ push me. I can do a lot worse to you than this." Then, he started to turn away. 

"Sadist," Kyla muttered. 

Bakura immediately turned on her again. 

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Later, Kyla limped her way over to Liz, Sylvia, and Joanne, who fell silent as she approached. 

"What _happened_ to you?" Joanne gasped while Sylvia ran to get bandages and salve. 

"I had a little run-in with Bakura," Kyla answered, half-falling, half-sitting on the ground.__

_Well, I _did_ warn you not to make him angry,_ Nareen reminded Kyla. _It's not _my_ fault that you refused to listen.___

_That is _not_ what I need to hear right now,_ Kyla muttered. 

At just that moment, Sylvia came back. She and Joanne started cleaning up Kyla's cuts and bruises while Liz paced up and down. "He can't do this to you," she muttered. "He's already getting what he wants." 

"Well... I _did_ sort of goad him," Kyla replied, biting back a groan as Joanne's fingers encountered a particularly sensitive bruise. 

"That's _still_ uncalled for," Sylvia said severely. "He's going to duel you for your _soul_, Kyla." 

Unknown to the four girls, Joey was just walking past at that moment. He was going to meet Tristan outside the school gates. But something about the girls' conversation caught and held his attention. In fact, he was beginning to see what was really going on, and he felt that he should got and get Yugi. Or Yami. But he didn't want to risk missing any important parts of the conversation.__

_Seems like someone beat Kyla up,_ Joey thought, clenching his fists. _I want to get my hands on the creep who did that... I don't care if she deserved it. You _don't_ go around hitting girls!_

The girls were talking again, and Joey automatically strained his ears to listen. He turned a little pale at what he heard. 

"If _only_ you could ask Yugi for help," Sylvia sighed. "I mean, he won the tournament at Duelist Kingdom." 

"But she _can't_ ask Yugi for help!" Liz snapped. "Remember what Bakura said? That Kyla can't tell Yugi or any of his friends about the duel, or she'll automatically forfeit it and lose both hers and Nia's souls?"__

_Well, she's not really _telling_ me,_ Joey thought, ignoring the faint stab of guilt he felt. _I guess I can't tell Yugi and the others about this... At least, not yet._

"Talking about this main duel," Joanne commented in a thoughtful tone. "I've spoken to Mokuba Kaiba... There's a building he says we can use to practise in. And he says he can also get us a couple of dueling disks to use." 

Liz gave a slight frown. "So... When can we start?" she demanded. 

"My mother's coming to pick us up in a little while," Joanne replied. "We can actually start today." 

"But..." Kyla began. 

"It's all right," Joanne reassured Kyla. "We'll be back _well_ before the end of school."__

_The end of school?_ Joey frowned. _What's _that_ supposed to mean?_ Almost unconsciously, he started to edge nearer, then stopped as a middle-aged woman with short brown hair stepped up to the girls. 

"Hi, mum," Joanne smiled. She gestured towards Kyla. "This is Kyla... Kyla, this is my mum, Lita." 

Lita looked steadily at Kyla, taking in her disheveled appearance. "Did your foster father do that to you?" she demanded. 

Kyla blinked, and moved back slightly. "_What_?"__

_Her foster father?_ Joey thought, his eyes narrowed slightly. _Well,_ that_ explains a lot... Like why Kyla acts the way she does, for example._

"I've met your foster father," Lita explained to Kyla. "I have _some_ idea of what he's like. Which is why I think you should come and live with us." 

"Hey, that would be _so_ cool!" Joanne exclaimed. 

"But..." Kyla began. 

"_I_ think that you should go," Joey said, walking over to them. 

Sylvia and Joanne stared at Joey, while Liz demanded, "How long have you been listening for?" 

"Oh, long enough," Joey answered as Kyla's face drained of colour. "I think I have a pretty good idea of what's going on. But don't worry. I won't tell Yugi or any of the others." 

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